What is a filariasis disease?

Can filaria be cured?

Since there is no known vaccine or cure for lymphatic filariasis, the most effective method that exists to control the disease is prevention.

What should not eat in filaria?

How are filarial worms transmitted to humans?

When a mosquito bites a person who has lymphatic filariasis, microscopic worms circulating in the person's blood enter and infect the mosquito. When the infected mosquito bites another person, the microscopic worms pass from the mosquito through the skin, and travel to the lymph vessels.

Is filariasis same as elephantiasis?

Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a painful and profoundly disfiguring disease. It is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea that are transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitos.

How is filariasis detected?

The standard method for diagnosing active infection is the identification of microfilariae in a blood smear by microscopic examination. The microfilariae that cause lymphatic filariasis circulate in the blood at night (called nocturnal periodicity).

Can microfilaria be cured?

Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is the drug of choice in the United States. The drug kills the microfilariae and some of the adult worms. DEC has been used world-wide for more than 50 years.

Does filariasis cause itching?

The skin becomes very itchy and a red spotty rash is often present. Scratching often leads to bleeding, ulcers and secondary infections. The lower trunk, pelvis, buttocks, thighs and legs appear to be the most affected. Microfilariae are the main cause of this dermatitis.

How can filariasis be prevented?

Can microfilaria be transmitted?

The infection spreads from person to person by mosquito bites. The adult worm lives in the human lymph vessels, mates, and produces millions of microscopic worms, also known as microfilariae. Microfilariae circulate in the person's blood and infect the mosquito when it bites a person who is infected.

Is microfilaria a parasite?

The microfilaria (plural microfilariae, sometimes abbreviated mf) is an early stage in the life cycle of certain parasitic nematodes in the family Onchocercidae. In these species, the adults live in a tissue or the circulatory system of vertebrates (the "definitive hosts").

What is the natural cure for filaria?

Natural remedies like Scarlet Leadwort and Ajwain were providing clues for developing drugs with the capacity to kill adult filarial worms, said Nisha Mathew, a scientist of the Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), Pondicherry (Puducherry), which is an institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research, on Thursday.

What bacteria causes filaria?

Lymphatic filariasis is caused by the worms Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. These worms occupy the lymphatic system, including the lymph nodes; in chronic cases, these worms lead to the syndrome of elephantiasis.

Is elephantiasis completely curable?

People with an active infection can take medications to kill the worms in the blood. These medications stop the spread of the illness to others, but they do not completely kill off all the parasites. Antiparasitic drugs that may be prescribed include: diethylcarbamazine (DEC)

How long does lymphatic filariasis last?

The worms can live an average of six to eight years and throughout their life produce millions of small larvae (microfilariae) that circulate in the blood. When lymphatic filariasis becomes chronic, it causes lymphedema or elephantiasis (swelling of the skin and other tissues) of limbs and hydrocele.

Can you see filarial worms?

The migrating worm can be seen under the skin. Migration of an adult worm to the eyes (subconjunctival) occurs frequently. Dead worms may cause chronic abscesses, which may lead to the formation of granulomatous reactions and fibrosis.

Can filaria cause infertility?

Filariasis is accepted as the most common infectious cause of disability. Of several problems, reproductive disturbance and induction of infertility can be seen. Generally, the well-known situation is the filarial orchitis.

What is Chyluria disease?

Chyluria is a rare condition in which lymphatic fluid leaks into the kidneys and turns the urine milky white. It is most commonly associated with the parasitic infection Wuchereria Bancrofti, but can also have non-infectious causes. Chyluria is a lymphatic flow disorder.

How do you get rid of Falaria?

Your doctor may give you one called diethylcarbamazine (DEC). You'll take it once a year. It will kill the microscopic worms in your bloodstream. Another way to treat elephantiasis is to use DEC in combination with a medicine called ivermectin.

What does elephantiasis look like?

The main symptom of elephantiasis is gross enlargement and swelling of an area of the body because of the accumulation of fluid. The arms and legs are the areas most often affected. An entire arm or leg may swell to several times its normal size resembling the thick, round appearance of an elephant's leg.

Which doctor will treat filariasis?

Which specialist should I consult for filariasis? You can consult a general physician or an infectious disease specialist. 2.